My experience aligns with Lou's. I have baked a few cassettes, but very few. It doesn't help tapes that squeal, for that I use decamethylcyclopentasiloxane applied to the mag coat side of the tape with a Q-Tip stuffed in one of the holes of the cassette shell and kept moist by injecting D5 into the cotton end from time to time with a medical syringe. C-120s are the worst. For times when Lou's slapping the cassette doesn't work, I've tried loosening the screws to keep it from binding, that often will get you through a tape. My reshelling technique does not involve any small parts or any tools other than a non-magnetic pick and splicing tools. https://richardhess.com/notes/2006/03/06/loading-c-0-cassettes/ One of the problems I've seen with some Canadian-made (loaded?) C-120s is what I call "coning." Coning as in the sense of the Cima Dome in the California Desert. Cima is a lava dome but it's slope is so gradual you don't realize you're going up hill until you see a Diesel locomotive huffing and puffing or you look at your altimeter. In other words a very broad cone, but the difference in height between the hub and the outer edges is enough to cause the outer edges to jam against the slip sheets while the hub side is forced against the opposite side of the shell, hence opening it a bit. Slapping did not seem to help with these and the cone was worse after winding through side A to play side B. I have seen this with reel-to-reel tapes where the centre hub has collapsed...sometimes you can hear it creaking as tape layer upon layer is laid down on it. It actually happens a fair amount on the really nice looking, small windowed later 3M/Scotch reels. Not all, but some. I'm not certain if reshelling is a fix for coning, I don't think it was, but I haven't seen a coned cassette in several years. I see very few C-120s these days. Cheers, Richard On 2020-11-12 12:55 p.m., Lou Judson wrote: > I’ve never had a cassette with sticky shed. I have seen problems with cheap shells and possibly warping. I use Nakamichis so the pads are not a problem (Naks lift the pad away from the head and use dual capstan tension for better contact). > > Have you seen evidence of shedding on the machine after playing? or squeaking as they play? I have had cheap casstes and extra long ones (such as C-100 and C-120) bind and slow down warbling in speed, and usually winding forward and back helps, as well as slapping the casstte flat on a desk to re-align the tape pack. > > Re-shelling is not a bad thing either, just have to be careful with all the tiny parts. > > Richard Hess might have some deeper wisdom on this, but I have never had a casstte need baking. > > <L> > Lou Judson > Intuitive Audio > 415-883-2689 > >> On Nov 12, 2020, at 9:37 AM, Malcolm <[log in to unmask]> wrote: >> >> One of these units has been on my wants list for quite a while along with a Keith Monks record cleaner, but in both cases life has stepped in and said, "No, not yet. I'll get back to you." I have a number of cassettes that display sticky shed but before baking them I'd like to know whether there may be a problem with the shell warping, the pinch pads falling off, etc. Taking the tape pack out of the shell is certainly an option, but I'd rather not if I can help it. Suggestions would be helpful. Thanks! >> Stay safe, >> Malcolm Rockwell >> >> ******* -- Richard L. Hess email: [log in to unmask] Aurora, Ontario, Canada 647 479 2800 http://www.richardhess.com/tape/contact.htm Track Format - Speed - Equalization - Azimuth - Noise Reduction Quality tape transfers -- even from hard-to-play tapes.